Benefits of a Marketing Plan for Small Business

Research Topic 5: â€Å"I’ve got a small business with only 3 full-time staff. Marketing Planning’s no real practical use to me! Besides, I can’t afford the time and/or the money to do it† The writing of a marketing plan is extremely important step in the functioning of an effective and successful business. A marketing plan will give a snapshot of where the business currently stands, where the business hopes and wants to be and what needs to be done to achieve this. This is crucial if the business wants to grow or maintain its current level of profit. It could even be helpful if a business needed to down-size. Marketing plans can be as detailed as required, and as such are useful tools for large corporations and small businesses alike. The creation of marketing plans can be quite daunting without previous experience, and this is one reason why many small businesses don’t create a plan. Ross Cameron, of Cameron Research Group states â€Å"†¦there appeared to be a large number of small business owners who were not interested in growing. It is possible this is because many small business owners don’t know how to grow† (Hartnett and Keisler 2008, p. ) Many of the smaller businesses don’t understand the benefit of creating a marketing plan, and therefore avoid creating one. One benefit of creating a marketing plan is in analyzing the current situation. Particularly in small businesses, the ability to step back and take an external view of the business is often difficult for an owner, as that time can be put to use elsewhere, and the results of a situational analysis can often be confronting (Hartnett and Keisler 2008). Most successful entrepreneurs of the world are able to view and analyze the business from the outside. Another benefit of producing a marketing plan is the potential for â€Å"greater co-ordination of effort† (Overton 2007). In having a clearly defined plan for the direction of the business, as well as an idea of how to get there, all of the employees can be focused towards that same goal. A business that has no marketing plan can potentially have employees pulling the business in many different directions, as the goal is not clear. Producing a marketing plan can also help measure the success of any efforts put in to improve the business. In creating a marketing plan, it is best to quantify the desired achievement. For example, if a business wanted to improve its sales by 25% over the course of a twelve month period and this goal is identified within the marketing plan, then it can be reviewed after twelve months (or at intervals during this period). The results of the review measures the effectiveness of the marketing plan. If sales figures have grown by 25% or more, then it is seen as successful. If sales grew by under 25%, or worse, declined, then the marketing plan has not been as effective as it should be. The measurement of success of a marketing plan can also be used as a benchmark to set future marketing plans. Using the perceived effectiveness or not of the previous marketing plan, can be a useful tool for looking forward. It can inspire a business to set higher growth in sales figures, or to set the benchmark lower, to enable a sales figure that is a little bit more achievable, based on the previous marketing plan (Overton 2007). A marketing plan can also help a business by looking at its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (also known as a SWOT analysis). In providing this analysis, a business has a better viewpoint from which to build upon. Analysis of strengths provides important information about what the business does well in its operations. For example, it could be how the business differs from its competitors, or what makes the business more successful than others in certain aspects. For instance, this could mean that the employees of the business are better trained or motivated than at rival businesses, the business has higher valued intellectual property, or various other reasons. Similarly, the analysis of weaknesses provides information and comparisons with other businesses to enable better decision making and potential improvements. The analysis of opportunities and threats document how the business could be impacted in the future, for better or for worse. Opportunities enable a business to look at future growth potential, future trends in the marketplace, opportunities to take advantage of competitor’s weaknesses, or any other factor that may or may not have been identified in the strengths or weaknesses. Threats are basically negative opportunities and can be current or future factors that may possibly have a negative impact on the business. In drawing up the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) for the business, and similarly for its competitors, the business can have a greater understanding of its current situation, and moving forward, a greater understanding of any potential hurdles or windfalls that may impact the business (positively or negatively). This in turn provides a better platform from which to determine the way forward, and to provide a plan to achieve the goal of the business successfully. One of the main benefits gained by creating a marketing plan is the actual documenting of the businesses goals and direction. By having a plan in hard copy, and having all employees working towards the same goals and in the same direction, the business is more likely to succeed in reaching those goals. A marketing plan is also beneficial in setting a budget for effective marketing. A marketing plan will allow the business to look at its target objectives and determine the amount of money to be spent on that goal. Stephanie Paul (2010) insists that a marketing plan is â€Å"†¦Often considered the most effective budgeting method†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and that many experts believe that it is definitely the most logical way of setting a marketing budget. Similarly, a budget can also help create realistic strategies when looking at objectives from a budgeting aspect. â€Å"Understanding the return on investment on a marketing activity enables you to determine whether to keep them running or stop them and try something else†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Murphy 2009) Many small businesses feel that they don’t have time to develop arketing plans and strategies, but a marketing plan can be as thorough as the business needs it to be. In the case of most small businesses, the owner of the business inevitably works â€Å"in† the business, and has very little time to work â€Å"on† the business. However, a marketing plan doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. Whilst a large business may need h undreds of pages for a marketing plan, many small businesses can create effective marketing plans using as little as â€Å"half a dozen pages† (How to Create a Marketing Plan) McDaniel (2003) states â€Å"Developing a marketing plan is free and can be as simple as a time line of when to order business cards, networking opportunities, organizational meetings, speaking engagements and deadlines for publications†. The article also goes on to quote Ronelle Genser of Genser International Consulting â€Å"†¦there are three secrets to marketing. Commitment, Investment (not just money but of time, energy, and talent, as well), and consistency. † A marketing plan would be difficult without these aspects (McDaniel 2003) Around 98% of small business owners state that marketing is the hardest part of their job†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (McDaniel 2003). As seen above, a marketing plan can be effective at any scale, and should be a necessary tool for succeeding in business. For addressing the issue of time management in preparing a marketing plan for a small business, How to Create a Marketing Plan suggests taking â€Å"a couple of months to write the plan, even if it’s only a few pages long†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In conclusion, there are many benefits for writing a marketing plan, even for the time-poor owner of a small business. It enables the business owner to analyze the past and the present, as well as plot and plan the future direction of the business, the money spent on that plan and measuring the effectiveness of past, current and future plans. These are all practical uses of marketing plans, and for the basis of successful businesses, whether they are large multi-national corporations, or a small home business with few or no employees. Bibliography Hartnett R. , Keisler, K. , 2008, Small Business, Big Opportunity: Winning the right customers through smart marketing and advertising, Second edition, Sensis, Melbourne How to Create a Marketing Plan, 2010, Entrepreneur, viewed 2nd April 2010, Murphy, D. , 2009, Marketing Budget – Where do I start? , Vista Consulting, viewed 2nd April 2010, Overton, R. , 2007, Marketing Simplified, An introduction to marketing, eBOOK version, Martin Books, EBL EBook Library, viewed 2nd April 2010 Paul, S. , 2010, Cost of Marketing: What Is the Average Budget? , LegalZoom, viewed 2nd April 2010, < http://www. legalzoom. com/business-management/promoting-your-business/cost-marketing-what-is>

Bitter Melon Nutrition Facts Essay

Bitter melon is the immature pod vegetable, popular in many Asian countries. This widely grown as edible pod is, in fact, among the most bitter of all culinary vegetables. Bitter melon is a temperate /tropical vegetable probably originated in South-East Asia. Like other members of the Cucurbitaceae family, this plant is a fast-growing, trailing or climbing vine with thin stems and tendrils and requires trellis to support the climbing vine. The pods are characterized by smooth lengthwise ridges and uneven pebbly surface. Depending upon the cultivar type, immature pods are light to dark green and have oblong or oval shapes with a pointed tip at the blossom end. Internally, the flesh is white with rough edged seeds, somewhat similar to ridge gourd seeds. As the fruits begin to mature, they gradually turn yellow or orange. Health benefits of Bitter gourd * The vegetable is very low in calories, providing just 17 calories per 100g. Nevertheless, its pods are rich in phytonutrients like dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. * Bitter melon notably contains phyto-nutrient, polypeptide-P; a plant insulin known to lower blood sugar levels. In addition, it composes hypoglycemic agent called charantin. Charantin increases glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in the cells of liver, muscle and adipose tissue. Together, these compounds are thought to be responsible for reduction of blood sugar levels in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. * Fresh pods are an excellent source of folates, contain about 72 Â µg/100g (Provides 18% of RDA). Folate helps reduce the incidence of neural tube defects in the newborns when taken by mothers during early pregnancy. * Fresh bitter melon is an excellent source of vitamin-C (100 g of raw pod provides 84 mg or about 140% of RDI). Vitamin-C, one of the powerful natural antioxidants, helps the body scavenge deleterious free radicals one of the reasons for cancer development. * It is an excellent source of health benefiting flavonoids such as ß-carotene, ÃŽ ±-carotene, lutein, and zea-xanthin. It also contains a good amount of vitamin A. Together; these compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers and various disease processes. * Bitter melon stimulates easy digestion and peristalsis of food through the bowel until it is excreted from the body. Thus, helps in relieving indigestion and constipation problems. * In addition, the vegetable is an also good source of niacin (vitamin B-3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, manganese and magnesium. * Early laboratory tests suggest that compounds in bitter melon might be effective for treating HIV infection.

The Arab charter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Arab charter - Essay Example The first Arab Charter was adopted in 1994, but none of the states ratified the charter thus leading to amendments that created the Arab Charter of 2004 in Arab summit in Tunis in 2004. The substantial amendments were done to confirm with the international human rights law on issues such as death penalty, rights of non-citizens and freedoms of expression (Weissbrodt and Vega, 2007). The Arab Charter 2004 came in to force on 16th March 2008 after the ratification of the seventh member state of the Arab league. Article 45 of the Arab Charter establishes the Arab Human rights committee that consists of seven independent member state nationals who are tasked with the supervision of the implementation of the charter and reporting on the progress that each member state has undertaken in giving effect to the rights and freedoms safeguarded by the Arab Charter (Shelton & Wright-Carozza, 2013). The final Arab charter is consistent with European Human rights as reflected in the treaties and op inions of UN experts on human rights (Weissbrodt and Vega, 2007). ... Accordingly, the charter reaffirms the principles of United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations International covenants on political, social and cultural rights and Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (Shelton & Wright-Carozza, 2013). The joint states in Arab charter include the 22 Arab countries, but only 11 have ratified to safeguard the human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the charter. The states that have ratified the charter include Jordan, Algeria, Syria, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Libya (Shelton & Wright-Carozza, 2013). Other member states of the League of Arab nations include Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Djibouti, Algeria, Republic of Sudan, Kingdom of Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, the Sultanate of Oman , Libya, Mauritania and Republic of Yemen (Weissbrodt and Vega, 2007). Article 1 of the Arab Charter recognises human rights as a national concern for Arab states and aims at improving human lives in accordance with human values. The Article seeks to ensure citizens have a sense of the national identity, and share common interests with the spirit of brotherhood, tolerance and universal principles of human rights. Article 1 (d) recognises that human rights are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent as outlined by the United Nations Declaration of universal international human rights charter. Article 2 grants the citizens the right to self-determination, right to sovereignty and right to be free from all forms of racism or Zionism, which constitutes impediment to enjoyment of the fundamental human dignity (Shelton & Wright-Carozza, 2013). The Charter is

Healthy food can be unhealthy for your wallet Essay

Healthy food can be unhealthy for your wallet - Essay Example Healthy foods are associated with the desired nutrients by the body. According to Michele Obama, healthy foods constituted of fresh fruits and vegetables in their time. It is as a result of this assertion that greens, as well as fruits, are very expensive today. The farmers, as well as the businessmen, know that these types of foods are in high demand in the market. As a result of this, they hike their prices in order to make a profit. In her speech, Michele also claimed that parents at her time used to cover long distances in search of healthy foods such as lettuce and fresh fruits for their children. From Michele’s assertion, one can deduce that the access to healthy foods is associated with a lot of expenses. For instance, for one to access fruits, he or she has to spend some amount of money as fare to the market. Additionally, the preparation of healthy foods is also very involving; it requires the observance of step by step procedures. It is as a result of such expenses t hat healthy foods are un-pocket friendly today.In the past, majority of the parents had small pieces of farms for fruits and vegetables. The availability of the fruits and vegetables in the backyards not only reduced the proximity of the healthy foods, but also made them very available. Unlike in the past, very few people have backyards for vegetables and fruits today. The rise in population, as well as advancement in technology, has led to the diversion of land use to other practices. It is as a result of this that healthy foods are very scarce in the market.

Mothers in Federal Prison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mothers in Federal Prison - Essay Example This information also supports the premise that when women are in federal prison it has severe repercussions on the entire family. Historically women who were mothers and sentenced to federal prisons were given lighter sentences. However, the literature indicates that tougher prison sentences, especially federal, are being handed down. As a result, more children are being affected by a parent's incarceration, (The Center for Youth and Families) The repercussions to the entire families of the incarnated women, not just the children are serious. There are emotional, political and economical effects that the entire family must endure. In the "Long Goodbye" by Amanda Coyne, all of these factors are addressed. The major factor that Coyne's work is concerned with is the emotional impact both on the mother and the rest of the family, especially the children. There is an emotional toll that affects the entire family f the imprisoned mothers. The literature suggest that the large numbers of women in federal prisons has a social impact and supports the premise that many women are in federal prisons due to the unsuccessful war on drugs. ... This causes great angst for the mothers in federal prison and it raises concerns as to what and how they will explain their incarceration to young children. The current literature also reveals that mothers in federal prisons have difficulties with adolescents and the adolescents of incarcerated mothers are problematic. (Coyne, p 73) Current literature is concerned with the unintended consequences of the incarceration of parents on children. (Coyne, p 72) These consequences may include problems with separation, caretaking, schooling, and antisocial behavior during childhood, educational failure, precocious sexuality, premature departures from home, early childbearing and marriage, and idleness and joblessness during adolescence and early adulthood. (Bloom, p 21) There is current literature that examines the dimensions and causes of these problems among children of mothers that have been sentenced in the federal district courts system. (Coyne, 74) The literature also suggests that the withdrawal or loss of a parent can result in the loss not only of economic capital, but also of social capital involving relationships among family members and the organization of family life toward the maintenance and improvement of life chances of children. (Bloom, p 22) The presence of mothers in United States prison populations is growing with the increasing reliance on incarceration as a criminal sanction, for women as well as men. (Bloom, p 22) The literature presents the results of a recent survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (1991) that revealed that about two-thirds of incarcerated women and more than one-half of incarcerated men are mothers of children under 18 years of age. (The Center for Youth

Northeren Ireland History Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Northeren Ireland History Coursework - Essay Example The aim of this paper is to discuss thoroughly the elements involved in the struggle for peace that the people of Northern Ireland find themselves involved in - both past and present. By examining the history of Northern Ireland, including the factors, obstacles, and pinnacle points involved, we can come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding on the subject matter. This is what will be dissertated in the following. I can learn many disadvantages faced by Catholics from the first paragraph through the learning that Catholics were a significant minority in regards to employment; only a mere 400 out of 10,000 workers in a Belfast shipyard were Catholic. This proves to be a significant disadvantage towards Catholics in the early 1960s considering that it seems as though they were given less employment opportunities. As well as facing disadvantages in city areas like Belfast, the second part of the source also shows other disadvantages faced in rural areas through another staggering statistic; although the population at the time in Fermanagh was over half Catholic, in regards to employment their position was still strikingly minor. Out of the Fermanagh City Council's 370 employees only 48 were Catholic, and out of 75 school bus drivers, only 7 were Catholic. In conclusion from this I can learn that although sometimes the Catholics were actually a majority in population, such as in the rural city of Fermanagh, they continued to make up only the minority in regards to employment. This shows us that they were treated unfairly, and were not given equal employment opportunities. How Useful are Sources B and C in Helping to Assess the Extent of Discrimination Against Catholics These two sources are significantly helpful in assessing the discrimination against Catholics, in that they show severe examples of the scrutiny and injustice that they faced. For example in source B, when Billy Sinclair, a former player-manager of Linfield, a football club in Northern Ireland, is making statements in 1984; he explained that if a Linfield soccer scout asked a player what school he went to and "if it's Saint something, then all of a sudden the boy's not good enough." This is a perfect example of the unfair discrimination the Catholics faced during that time period. In regards to source C, a similarly severe example is used, as it was described that Protestants are preferred during times of depression in preference to their fellow Catholics. This proves that people were not looked upon for their talent or humanity, but rather for whether they were Catholic or not, which is completely stereotypical and unjustified. How do Sources D, E, and F Help to Explain why Londonderry Became a Centre of the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland Londonderry, which is also commonly referred to as the

Rebuttal - Why Marijuana should be Legal in the US Essay

Rebuttal - Why Marijuana should be Legal in the US - Essay Example a striking difference can be seen as the results of the poll in 2011 put forward the fact that 50 percent of the Americans wanted marijuana to be legalized now (Carey 2011). The legalization of marijuana has sparked many debates as many benefits of this legalization have been put forward and demands for the revision of the legislation with regard to marijuana has been demanded. The Huffington Post reported the stand of the White House on the issue of the legalization of marijuana. The White House declared the fact that marijuana was a drug which carried many disadvantages and they could not legalize the drug as it would bring much harm to the society. The White House indicated the fact that the government was spending much on research with regard to marijuana and they did not find any strong research that upheld the benefits of this drug. It was further claimed that marijuana resulted in health issues which included â€Å"addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment.† It was also stated that legalizing of marijuana would not result in any benefit for the community and would rather cause harm to the society (Graves 2011). The benefits of marijuana have been upheld by many groups who consider that legalization of marijuana would result in many positive effects. The use of marijuana in medicine has been one of the most important benefits of the drug. The California Medical Association upheld this stand and put forward the fact that marijuana should be made legal. The Association indicated the fact that advantages of this legalization were much higher than the disadvantages. They also upheld the fact that marijuana was helpful in the relief of pain and thus it should be made legal and regulations should be imposed on drug distribution rather than putting a ban on it (York 2011). The President of Columbia also put forward the fact that the legalization of marijuana had many advantages and he explained that the drug should be made legal throughout the

Cybercrime and Privacy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cybercrime and Privacy - Research Paper Example There has been a dramatic rise in the reach and availability of electronic means of communication in the recent decades. This has led to a simultaneous rise in the internet related crimes whereby electronic resources are exploited by cyber criminals, to commit online frauds. The internet related crimes are fast spreading across the globe and have become transnational in nature, thus making it far more difficult to restrict, prevent, or investigate such occurrences and persecute the perpetrators. Although the law enforcement agencies, have enacted several policies and set up legal departments to track and prohibit malicious use of internet by the cyber criminals, there is still a serious lack of effective resources and infrastructure to dissuade cyber criminals from engaging in such crimes (Wall 5). The growth in technological advancements has resulted in a simultaneous rise in invasion of our privacy. This is apparent from the growing number of spam messages and unsolicitated mails i n our inbox. This sudden influx of data comprising of marketing reports and aggressive advertising, encountered in our daily lives is one of the most predominant nuisances in present times, which indicate the level and extent of this menace. The increasing exchange of personal information between technology and individuals as a form of communication, which is stored in databases is a threat to our privacy since this information is likely to be pawned by marketing professionals in their profit games. The gravity of this threat is aggravated by the fact that nations across the globe today are highly dependent on information technology. Although the information age has contributed immensely towards enhancing the quality of our lives, it has displayed a serious negative side as well - that of completely diminishing the society's right to protection of their privacy (Wall 37). 2. Significance, scope and extent of the problem: â€Å"Undeterred by the prospect of arrest or prosecution, cy ber criminals around the world lurk on the Net as an omnipresent menace to the financial health of businesses, to the trust of their customers, and as an emerging threat to nations’ security† Marc Goodman The study of cybercrime raises several critical questions regarding the protection of privacy and more specifically the increasing loss of privacy. The proliferation of technology and internet based activities ranging from personal banking and social networking activities to shopping online and searching for employment has become common place, and hence increased the vulnerability of individuals to cyber attacks. The personal details shared by individuals online are accessible to everyone thus making it highly susceptible to misuse, and thefts of identity by cybercriminals (Brenner viii). The commercialization of personal information has added a boost to criminal activities online and the anonymity that the web offers almost guarantees impunity to the perpetrators thus making it difficult for law enforcements to prevent the growing trend. The issue of cybercrime, has been growing consistently and is now known to be one of the most serious and globally recognized internet crimes in recent times, causing millions of dollars worth of losses every year in the U.S. According to the Cyber Crime Report (2011) conducted by Symantec in the U.S. it is estimated that cybercrime has amounted to a total of $338 billion over the past year (Symantec.com, 2011). The report further states that 69% of the adults surveyed have admitted to have fallen prey to cybercrimes in their lifetime of which 65% suffered due to online frauds during the past one year. 75% of the victims of cybercrimes were those between the age group of 18 and 31 years. Figure 2: Source: Cyber Crime Report: Symantec

Managing under uncertainty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Managing under uncertainty - Essay Example However, man is governed by some social structure, economic setups or even cultural moral and ethics that dictate the decision making process. Social sciences have developed models and theories through which the decisions made by an individual can be analyzed and understood. Being ethical or better still making ethical decisions is the ability to choose between options that are presented guided by personal respect, trustworthiness, fairness, responsibility good citizenship and caring attitude. Instances come up when in general reasoning, any decision to be taken which in other instances are regarded badly may present the fairest deal ever. Persons are as well presented with the opportunity of testing the appropriateness of any decision made by subjecting them to the models and theories prior to making the decisions. This paper therefore intends to critically analyze through reflection the process of decision making through which a person makes a decision though the outcome is not sat isfying to his. We shall; use a case study of a decision that I made while at classroom. Presented with an option of doing anything under the cover of invisibility different people would act differently. However, the power of decision-making is pegged on more than personal gratification principle. Since time immemorial, human beings have had the capacity to be guided by instincts while making decisions. Human socialization too has taken a great way in shaping human interactions as far as decision-making is concerned. My case study analyzes a decision that I made while at class in my lower grades of learning. It was during the examination period when we were all preparing to have a class examination. I was inadequately prepared for the exam and I knew that I would not perform satisfactorily in the paper. Other people as well felt inadequately prepared to sit for the exam and everybody was busy designing the means through which he/she would pass. Though I understood the repercussions that would allow cheating in an exam, I was persuaded by my fear to take the risk and try cheating for the paper. I made a decision to do a summary of the critical points that I had not understood in class and carry them through small papers into the exam room. This entitled me to passing the paper when presented within those questions. Nevertheless, by following ethical reasoning as well as moral consideration, I overlooked the instincts. However, even after sneaking the papers into the exam room, I never managed to copy successfully as the teacher spotted me. After the confiscation, I was ordered to leave the exam room and I was suspended from school as a punishment for the offense. Moreover, the offense led to my disqualification to proceed to the next grade with the rest of the class through which I regretted most. The decision to carry with me the written papers with a motive to cheat through the exam had initially presented a satisfying solution to my problem of inadequately p repared for the paper. I took the decision as it presented the highest chances of solving my problem and seemed the most appropriate among the other options that were. My fears were overcome by ascribing to the reasoning of passing the exam through cheating. I had the option of preparing for the paper in advance or better still just write whatever I had in mind instead of choosing to cheat in the exam. However, my rational thinking directed my choice to

Alina Humanities Essay Example for Free

Alina Humanities Essay PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of the course, students should be able to accomplish the following. 1. Understand and appreciate outstanding cultural expressions of the humanistic tradition. 2. Interpret and analyze selected artistic and ideological expressions. 3. Compare and contrast selected artistic and ideological expressions. 4. Identify causal influences in the chronological development of arts and ideas. 5. Applywhattheyhavelearnedaboutonecultureorculturalexpressionwhenexamining another. 6. Demonstrate how selected artistic and ideological expressions do or do not illustrate a cultural period or a stylistic concept. 7. Defend personal opinions regarding the interpretations of selected artistic and ideological expressions. 8. Demonstrate rhetorically effective writing appropriate for the study of humanities and meeting all requirements for college level writing. ***Please advise instructor if you will be taking exams at DSS. *** CLASS PROCEDURE OBLIGATIONS Class sessions will consist primarily of PowerPoint presentations that include representative images, texts, and audio from the humanist tradition. Students will be responsible for viewing/reading the powerpoints and/or other material prescribed for each presentation. When 1  engaging literary texts, the students must read the assigned pages before classes, be ready to pass written quizzes on the readings and be ready to discuss each respective day’s assignment. *** Using laptop computers or other electronic devices is not allowed in class. For each incident, violators will be docked ten points on the following exam. Classroom Etiquette: 1. No talking during class. Private conversation cannot and will not be tolerated. 2. No reading the newspaper, or other outside material, or doing other homework during class. 3. Due to the abuse of using computers in class in the past, I ask that you do not use a laptop for  taking notes. 4. Arriving late and leaving early are disruptive. Please be considerate of your instructor and fellow students by arriving on time. If you should need to arrive late or leave early, please notify the instructor. 5. Turn off cell phones before entering the classroom. Attendance Policy Classroom attendance supplements and enriches text materials through films, slides, lectures, and discussions. In addition, class discussions suffer without each student present, since all viewpoints in discussion are important. Class attendance and punctuality are important. TCCs  Catalog states, â€Å"All students enrolled in the College are expected to attend all classes, since regular attendance and regular application constitute the two most significant factors that promote success in college work. Until midterm during fall, spring and summer C terms, any student absent from any class for more time than that class meets in any one week (i. e. , two classes) may be withdrawn by administrative action (AW grade). † Tardiness and/or leaving class early both disrupts the continuity of the class and reduces other students engagement with the material. Both, therefore, will be counted as absences.  Since late arrivals and early departures constitute class disturbances, each instance of tardiness to and early departure from this class will be counted as an absence from an entire class session. Consequently, STUDENTS WHO ARE TARDY OR WHO LEAVE EARLY FOR ANY REASON, INCLUSIVE OF BATHROOM USAGE ON MORE THAN A TOTAL OF FIVE OCCASIONS PRIOR TO THE WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE WILL BE SUBJECT TO ADMINISTRATIVE WITHDRAWAL. STUDENTS SHOULD ARRIVE ON TIME AND POWER OFF THEIR CELL PHONES BEFORE CLASS BEGINS. Eight absences will lower your final grade in this course one full letter grade. A student with nine absences will automatically fail the  course. There will be no distinction made between excused and unexcused absences, so plan your absences wisely. 2 STUDENTS SHOULD ARRIVE ON TIME AND POWER OFF THEIR CELL PHONES BEFORE CLASS BEGINS. OBLIGATIONS I. Exams Students will be responsible for performing well on three exams. The course will be divided into three units, and a non-cumulative examination will be administered at the conclusion of each unit. All three exams will be comprised of slide identification, multiple choice, matching, short answer, and true/false questions. Students should bring a #2 pencil on the dates of the exams. IF FOR ANY LEGITIMATE REASON A STUDENT IS UNABLE TO TAKE AN EXAM ON THE ASSIGNED DATE, HE/SHE MUST NOTIFY THE INSTRUCTOR BEFOREHAND. Otherwise, no make-up exam will be administered, and failing to take an exam will result in an â€Å"F† for the course. The key to doing well on the exams: attending class, taking notes, and studying diligently. Each exam will include 20% extra credit. II. Writing Assignments Students will be responsible for submitting a total of three essays (600-650 words each). Each one of the three essays corresponds with each one of the 3 exams, and each of the three essays  will be a response to prompts aligned with each unit/exam — that is, each of the three essay assignments must be related to the readings for each exam. Further instructions and the essays’ prompts will be posted on BlackBoard. The due dates are specified on the calendar at the conclusion of this syllabus. Note: Students must complete successfully a short grammar quiz before submitting each of the three essays. Essays may include MLA prescribed in-text citations. That is, if you quote or paraphrase from a source, you must parenthetically cite that source after the quote or paraphrase. Also, you will  need to include a Works Cited page. ***If you plagiarize, your essay will receive a zero, and your overall grade will drop to an F. Grading Each of the students three exams and the writing assignments will receive a letter grade: 100-90 = A; 89-80 = B; 79-70 = C; 69-54 = D; 53-0 = F. The three exam grades will each count 30%, totaling 90 percent of the student’s final course grade; and the three essay grades total 10 percent of the final course grade. *Failure to submit an exam or essay will result in an F for the course. * 3 A student’s excellent attendance, punctuality, Discussion Board participation, and attitude  (citizenship) can count up to 10%++ â€Å"extra credit† toward the final exam grade. Conversely, a student’s poor attendance, poor punctuality, and poor citizenship/attitude (which includes talking, texting, â€Å"acting out† in class) can affect negatively the final exam grade. Tardiness or leaving early will be counted as an absence and will therefore negate a student’s extra credit for that particular class. Academic Honesty Policy Plagiarism: Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary states: to plagiarize is â€Å"to steal or pass off ideas or words of another as one’s own†¦to use created productions without crediting  the source†¦to commit literary theft†¦to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source† (p. 1371). Academic dishonesty is not accepted at Tallahassee Community College, and I will pursue and prosecute any instances of such dishonesty. ***Do not plagiarize—that is, do not use the research, ideas, or words of others as your own without giving proper credit to your source. This policy especially includes copying or paraphrasing written materials from gallery brochures, play programs, books, periodicals, encyclopedias, CD-ROMs, the Internet, or someone else’s paper. ***Do not cheat. Students who cheat or plagiarize will receive an automatic zero on the assignment and will be referred to the academic dean for expulsion from TCC. By the act of submitting written work or an exam, the student acknowledges that she/he understands the definition of academic dishonesty and is willing to accept the consequences for any violation. COURSE WEB SITE: This course has been designated â€Å"WA† (â€Å"Web Assisted†) in the schedule of classes, and the â€Å"WA† designation means: â€Å"Some use of computer online technology required. † In this regard a course web site has been established for students in this class. The purpose of the web site is to allow students access to important course materials (syllabus, writing assignment, study guides, presentation assistants, images, et cetera). The materials are intended as supplemental to the classroom experience; they should not, in other words, be viewed as substitutes for in-class presentations. Students may also use the course web site to communicate with one another by means of the â€Å"Discussion Board,† which can be found by clicking on the tab labeled â€Å"Communication. † Via the Discussion Board, students can introduce themselves to one another,  ask questions about the material covered in class, and ask questions about the course writing assignments (be careful, though, not to copy the answers of another student). Activating Your TCC E-mail Account If you have not already done so, you will need to activate your TCC e-mail account. To activate your TCC e-mail account, go to the TCC homepage at http://www. tcc. fl. edu/, click on â€Å"Online Access,† click on Student NetMail Guide; click on â€Å"Activate your eAccount,† and follow the directions. You will be given â€Å"Student eAccount ID (or Name) and a Password (or PIN) that you need to record and store in a secure location. You will need your eAccount ID and Password to access both the course web site and your TCC e-mail account. If you have any problems, call 850-201-8535. Finding the Course Web Site 4 You may find the course web site by going to the TCC homepage at http://www. tcc. fl. edu/, clicking on â€Å"Online Access,† clicking on â€Å"Blackboard. † After logging in with your username and password, the next screen should display the name of the course in which you are enrolled. LIST OF CLAST SKILLS TAUGHT OR REINFORCED: The State of Florida requires each student to demonstrate proficiency in certain College Level Academic Skills (CLAST). The students of HUM 2210 will have the opportunity to practice and develop their reading and writing skills. As for their reading, students will engage their Literal and Critical Comprehension Skills; and, as for their writing, students will engage their English Language Skills: Content, Organization, and Grammar/Mechanics (i. e. , appropriate word usage, syntax, spelling, punctuation). Advising The Associate of Arts degree offered through TCC requires the completion of six credit hours in humanities with a grade of C or better. There are three different tracks through which those six hours may be obtained. The common track runs through both HUM 2210 and HUM 2230, Humanities of the World I and II. If students pass HUM 2210, then, to fulfill the humanities requirement, they must also pass HUM 2230 (and vice versa). Another track runs through HUM 2740 and 2741, Humanities Abroad I and II. If students pass HUM 2740, then, to fulfill the humanities requirement, they must also pass HUM 2741. The third track offers two humanities courses from four different categories. Those categories include courses relating to (1) Art History, (2) Literature, (3) Music, and (4) Philosophy and Religion. For the third track students  must pass two courses, and the two courses must fall into two different categories. Students cannot fulfill the humanities requirement by completing courses in different tracks. If, for example, students pass HUM 2210 and then pass REL 2300 (World Religions), they have not fulfilled the humanities requirement. ACADEMIC ALERT! Students enrolled in the same college-prep or college-level course for the third time shall pay one-hundred percent of the full cost of instruction (which is the equivalent of fees paid by out-of-state residents) except in approved cases of documented extenuating circumstances. Students may not withdraw on the third attempt and will receive a grade in courses taken the third time. An appeal to take a college-level course for the fourth time may be allowed based on academic goals. The appeal process is executed through the Counseling Department. If a fourth attempt is granted, a student will not be permitted to withdraw and will receive a grade for the course. The counting of attempts began in the fall of 1997 and includes only those attempts at the Florida college where one is currently enrolled. Take your course work seriously. Consult with your academic advisor, make an educational  plan, attend class, and take advantage of the skills’ labs available to you. * * * PRESENTATION TOPICS AND RECOMMENDED READING 5 Unit I: The Earliest Traces of Culture Ancient African Egyptian Culture Ancient Mesopotamian and Hebrew Culture Ancient Hindu and Buddhist Cultures Unit II: Ancient Greek Culture Ancient Roman Culture Early Christian and Byzantine Culture Unit III: Islamic Culture Japanese Culture: chs. 16, 23 (if time permits) Medieval European Culture Renaissance European Culture IMPORTANT DATES Classes Begin Holidays: Labor Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Break Monday, August 25 Monday, September 01  Tuesday, November 11 Wednesday-Friday, November 26-28 Last day to cancel registration/drop courses and receive a refund; last day to change from credit to audit or audit to credit Last day to withdraw from a course(s); last day instructors may assign AW Friday, August 29 Monday, November 03 1st Exam 1st Essay due Sept. 18 (Slide ID) Sept. 23 (Multiple Choice, etc. ) Sept. 16 2nd Exam 2nd Essay Due Oct. 21 (Slide ID) Oct. 23 (Multiple Choice, etc. ) Oct 28 Last Day of Classes Friday, December 05 Final Exam 3rd Essay Due TBA Day of the Final Exam TBA Final Exam: TBA Twelve Ways to make sure You Pass Your College Classes  6 1. Study the text, lecture material, or additional assigned recommended reading. Superficially scanning the reading the night before the exam â€Å"doesn’t cut it. † 2. Observe due dates. Late work, no matter what the excuse, will be downgraded or not accepted. 3. Do not urge the instructor to â€Å"cut you some slack† or â€Å"give you a break. † If he or she did that for someone else and not you, what would your reaction be? 4. Attend class. While you may think class is boring, the teacher might just provide some insights that will help you better understand the content of the course. 5. Come to class on time. If you really want to get on the wrong side of the instructor, just make tardiness a habit. 6. Do not play with your cell phone, iPod, or other electronic device in class. Unless you have childcare problems or are a first-responder, these actions tell the instructor that something else is more important than what is being taught. 7. Do not copy from Wikipedia, a Google search, or someone else’s work without proper citations. Teachers usually can identify plagiarism and material that is not yours. 8. Do not sleep in class. We know that school interferes with your social life, but do not make it so obvious! 9. Do not try to con the teacher. Telling an instructor that this is the last course you need to graduate or transfer will not earn you any leniency. 10. Do not tell the teacher that this class is the only one with which you are struggling and you have â€Å"A’s and B’s† in all other classes. Don’t give the impression that your other teachers are too easy. 11. Do not tell the teacher that you must have a good grade or you will lose your eligibility for sports, scholarship, or grant; lose your G. I. Bill; or be on academic probation. 12. Take your course work seriously. Try your best to learn.

Leadership programs in First National Bank

Leadership programs in First National Bank The researcher intends to present the case of Leadership programs in First National Bank in a South African context. The leadership of First National Bank is Inspirational like many other South African organizations however the attempt of transformation has made the interesting in the view of researcher. Researcher has also prompted a unique style of research method that can best describe the case with maximum practical knowledge and implementations comparisons of various leadership aspects. A methodological design is formed by the researcher basing on the issues like data sources and methods of data generation that are potentially available, and the Ontology of the methods that the researcher had prepared a design with. The idea of the researcher in using the team Ontology is to get the nature of reality and human behavior, however lack of positivism still exists in Ontology. Multiple scientific methods and techniques are taken into consideration by the researcher to better present the case problems. According to the researchers methodological design the paradigm, methodology, methods and findings is found both qualitative and quantitative. Combining methods by mixing qualitative and quantitative methods is becoming increasingly popular in leadership research as well as in other disciplines (Klenke, 2008). There are theories drawn by various authors basing on the purposes, sources and analyses. Kezar (2002) proposes Positionality theory to explore how gender, race/ethnicity, level of administrator, and the role of a leader within the organization affect the way the leader constructs images of leadership. Positionality theory Author Purpose Data sources Analysis Kezar (2002) To examine how positionality (e.g. race, gender, etc) relate to the construction of leadership Interviews, document analysis, reports, observations, analysis of physical environment Interpretive Basing on the positionality theory, it is understood that the researcher have followed the structure of the methodological design with an interrelation of qualitative and quantitative research. There are 5 main steps followed by the researcher in the research process: Defining research questions and research methodology Research methods basing on the case selection Design research tools Collecting and coding primary data Analyzing primary and secondary data and interpret findings The literature review of the researcher has all major fact findings about the research topic and established strong background knowledge about different theoretical concepts. The researcher was successful in achieving triangulation of research methods by using all major data collection methods like observation, interviews, document analysis. It is ensure by the researcher that the triangulation of data sources was followed in all three different steps: Management issues, looking FNB in a bigger context FNBs internal issues. An overview of Leadership in Organizations South African Leadership and its Styles: Leadership is widely discussed and studied but continues to remain an elusive and hazy topic. Knowing leadership is always when it is experienced (Rosenbach, 2006). Bratton defines leadership as influencing, motivating and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members (Bratton, 2007). The importance of concept of leadership has started increasing it value in modern times in organizations especially when the organizations are concerned in developing strong work culture, and building high performance sustainable work practices. There have been many arguments about the interrelationship between management and leadership functions; management is associated with words like planning, organizing, coordinating implementing where as leadership revolve around vision, charisma, change agent and motivation. Traditionally there are 2 types of leaderships; Transactional Leadership and Transformational Leadership. (Taylor, 2006) Transactional Leadership: It is the equitable transaction or exchange between leader and followers where by the leader influences the followers by focusing on the self interests of both. Transactional leadership is considered as good managerial leadership skill that is used basing on the situations that can result in good performance. Transformational Leadership: The transformational leader motivates followers to perform beyond expectations by creating awareness about the importance of vision and mission. Transformational leaders enable followers to transform purpose into action. Individual organizations prefer to choose they style of leadership basing on the organizations culture and environment. According to Matthew Valle; WLQ Report [Accessed on 12th December 2010] Leadership process in stable environment: Leadership Processes Train workers to anticipate problems Outcomes Performance Satisfaction Absenteeism Turnover Anticipatory culture Work Processes Anticipatory culture Routine Problems Stable environment Leadership process in turbulent environment Leadership Processes Train workers to adapt to problems Routine Problems (crisis) turbulent environment Outcomes Performance Satisfaction less Absenteeism fewer turnovers Anticipatory culture Work Processes Adaptive culture (Mathew Valle, 2002) Therefore of the public organizations are operating in turbulent environments, the need of study in a stabilizing environment demands leadership processes to hold the control accordingly. Since 1994 South Africa has experienced dramatic changes both on a political as well as economic front, brought about by globalisation as well as a new political dispensation in SA. Discrimination during the apartheid era excluded Africans, Asians and Coloureds from the economy, resulting in little organisational leadership skills development amongst excluded races. After Democracy in 1994, labour legislation was implemented to redress the inequalities in society; these measures include, amongst others, Affirmative Action. Further complicating the current organisational environment is: South Africa is a blend of the 1st and 3rd world economy. The shortage of skilled African workers/managers, with lucrative offerings especially African males, lead to job-hopping. Corruption, nepotism and culturalism. (To appoint from own culture, chief of a tribe inherited by birth not based on leadership skills), political appointments, perceptions and stereotyping along racial and gender lines have high impact on the organizational leadership attitude.. All these factors influence the type of leadership that is appointed and how diversity is managed in the modern South African organisations. Other social issues such as changes in education, health systems, HIV/AIDS, housing, poverty, increased crime rate and many others, affecting the organization and employee that function within this social framework. According to Tinus Burgers, (Burgers, 2003) South Africa is just beginning to wake up from the post 1994 euphoria where whites were desperately trying to expand their blackness through toyi-toying and singing Shosoloza while black people erroneously believed that white stuff will simply disappear. There are still very deep felt differences and distrust between races making leadership in diverse organisations very challenging. After democratic elections in 1994 sanctions against South Africa were lifted. South Africa emerged as a global player that has to adapt to global trends in order to be competitive. The accelerated rate of technological development necessitates quick adjustment and the need to move away from traditional management practices. The effect of technology (electronic networks, cellular telephones, etc.), transcends national, geographical, time and organisational boundaries, increase in availability of information, influences employees and organisational behaviour as employees have to face massive and accelerated changes (Weeks, 2003). These rapid changes in the global environment and the South African situation challenged the recreation of society at all levels. According to Nkomo this recreation ranges from individuals changing identities and roles to the transformation of major social institutions and financial institutions. In sum, the leadership challenge for South African organisations is: Retiring old thinking systems in parallel with creating new ones against the reality of high speed globalization and informationalism (Nkomo, 2004). The African model of leadership differs from that of the West. Self-reliance and self-interest are subservient to ethnicity and group loyalty. Interpersonal relations are placed above individual achievements. Wealth is first of all extended family wealth and then ethnic or tribal wealth, often to the expense of the organisation (Blunt, 1996). Ethnic cleavages can affect the performance of the organisation. Leadership is paternalistic of nature. Leaders bestow favours and expect and receive obedience and deference, with consensus playing a major role in decision-making resulting in decision making within levels to be taking a long time. There is also a great capacity for tolerance and forgiveness (Blunt, 1996). It was found that the leadership style in Africa is authoritarian, personalised, politicised and a high power distance, with power concentrated at the top. In this context, the leaders job becomes one of operationalising directions received from above, making them clear to subo rdinates and providing advice and support. African leaders are therefore overwhelmingly concerned about the quality of hierarchical relationship with their superiors, rather than with individual or organisational effectiveness. This degree of dependence on seniors by the more junior individuals is seen as normal (Blunt, 1996). There is a masculine dominance across all ethnic groups. Managerial ideologies tend to reflect unitarist ideas seeing the organisation as a cohesive team (happy family) with the emphasis on loyalty and conflict avoidance, emphasizing UBUNTU (humaneness), group decision making and interdependence. Managerial styles reflect both Western values based on individualism and meritocracy and an authoritarian legacy of apartheid and colonialism. From a followers perspective Africans prefer a leader that is kind, considerate and understanding to one who is too dynamic, productive and demanding. Leaders are seen to possess genuine authority but are expected by their subordinates to use it sparingly and in a humane and considerate way (Blunt, 1996). From the above views it is understood that, to build a new South Africa, African concepts had to be reviewed that get to an end to apartheid. The case First National Bank. [Accessed 12th December 2010] The idea of the researcher in choosing a Financial Services Industry in South Africa like FNB is definitely a unique challenge. Firstrand is the 2nd largest banking institution that is born from the merger of Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), Momentum, First National Bank (FNB) and southern life in 1998. Firstrand is divided into 3 main business areas: banking (First National Bank and Rand Merchant Bak), insurance (Momentum), and health. According to exhibit 1 produces in the case Firstrand additionally divides its earnings into four clusters: Retail, corporate, wealth and health. South Africa has its unique challenges in terms of handling leadership in an African way. The leadership style in South Africa is inspirational and the relation between both the leadership have may common elements. African leadership is focused more on community, where as in inspirational leadership the focus is on individuals. Relationship Diagram Inspiration African Spirit Spirit Interconnectedness Described by African principles like Spirituality UBUNTU INDABA ISITHUNZI INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP AFRICAN LEADERSHIP First National bank: Inspirational Leadership in South African context [case handout] Inspirational Leadership: Spirit and Spirituality were referred as the important aspects of inspirational leadership by the researcher basing on the South African context. High performance and innovative organizations require Inspirational leadership, stronger management skills, a highly-trained and motivated workforce, a flexible labor market that promotes diversity and fair treatment, and workplaces that recognize environmental issues and the need for greater resource productivity. Inspirational Leadership in South Africa involves the terms spirit and spirituality in handling leaderships in organizations. The leaders often tend to inspire their followers basing on the cultural values that are strongly routed in South Africa. This is one of the problems of First National Bank. FNB being into global operations, there will be many employees that will be not based from the South African culture and survival and acceptance of the work environment and implementing leadership in those prospective will become extre mely difficult. Ad defined earlier Transforming the leadership style become important, although the relationship between Inspirational and African spirit is closely associated. Anderson (1999) illustrates a graphical representation that best describes the leadership relationship: Effective learning organizations Build healthy communities High-performance teams build Successful learning organizations Effective team leaders build High performance teams Personal and interpersonal development Builds effective team members and leaders Self leadership leads to Individual and team success (Anderson, 1999) African Spirit: There are certain deep routed principles of leadership indulged in to African spirit like; UBUNTU, INDABA, VUKA. UBUNTU is the people based leadership style. This is the traditional social African philosophy of humanism which says caring for the people fist. INDABA-openness and inter-ethnic harmony in stating individual opinions is referred as INDABA. VUKA-A wake up and free yourself concept. The relationship between Inspirational Leadership and African spirit lies in African Renaissance: humanism that is referred as a system of thought that regards humans of being capable of using their intelligence to live their lives rather than relying on religious beliefs and collectivism is the ownership of land, business or industry by the people or state. A balance between individualism and collectivism has developed an integrated approach to leadership Issue: Due to cultural differences internally and externally within the organization, First National bank have decided to address these things immediately, which could be a cause of losing business in the near future. As soon as the decision is made, First Rand appointed two new leaders in FNB to address the cultural and leadership issues in the changing environment. A complex restructuring process was bought into shape that focuses mainly on the revenue growth with less cost. The result of the process is expected to be the improvement in customer service through transforming their leadership styles with in employees. The VUKA Program (Wake up): The idea of the program is to transform the company from an isolation mode of to common vision and mission within the organization. Transformational process in a company is about taking a company from an old state of being to new state of being. The senior management of the company has decided to involve them as the first step to make a difference to the program; the idea is to get every single staff member directly involved into the program as the main principle. The goal of the program is to create a work place community of new South Africans from different backgrounds. The first session of VUKA program were designed for 2 days involving topics like Barrier breaking, emptying, visioning, re-visioning, leadership and accountability and understanding the change. Merits on the program: Limitations on the program: The focus on the first days workshop session is on topics like Barrier breaking, emptying, visioning, re-visioning, leadership and accountability and understanding the change. The result of the goal of the program d Klenke, K. (2008) Mixed methods in leadership research, Qualitative research in the study of leadership. Emerald Group Publication Ltd. Bingley. pp 155-157. Kezar (2002) cited in Klenke, K. (2008) Mixed methods in leadership research, Qualitative research in the study of leadership. Emerald Group Publication Ltd. Bingley. p 163. Rosenbach, E. (2006) The heart of Leadership. Contemporary issues in leadership. 6th ed. Westview press. Cambridge, P. 1. Bratton, J (2007) Leadership, Work and Organizational behavior. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. p 131. Valle, M (2002) Cited in Rosenbach, E. (2006) Leadership and culture in public organizations. Contemporary issues in leadership. 6th ed. Westview press. Cambridge, P. 66-67. Burger, T. (2003). South Africa: musing of an ordinary citizen Part II. Management Today, June 2003. P. 16 Weeks, R. (2003). ICT and business strategy: two sides of the same coin. Management Today, June 2003. Nkomo, S. M. (2004). Leadership Dynamics. Strategic management and organizational dynamics: the challenge of complexity, 4th ed. Pp226-228. Blunt, P Merrick, L.J. (1998). Cited in ed. by Lennart, W. Jerker, C. Henock, K. Institution building and leadership in Africa, p. 186. First National Bank [online image]. Available from: https://www.fnb.co.za/about-fnb/about-us/about-us-overview.html [Accesses 12th December 2010]. MLQ Report [online image]. Available from http://www.tlcc.biz/transformational_leadership_assessment.htm [Accessed 12th December 2010]. Anderson, T (1999) Transforming Leadership and the promise of Leadership organization, Transforming Leadership. Blackwell publishing, British Library. P. 11

Response to the Film William Faulkner: a Life on Paper :: Movie Film Essays

Response to the Film William Faulkner: a Life on Paper While I was watching the documentary William Faulkner, a Life on Paper I found it striking how the different people that were interviewed talked about two different sides of the author William Faulkner. His daughters, Jill Faulkner Sommers and his stepdaughter, spoke mainly about his alcohol abuse and his moodiness whereas Faulkner’s contemporaries from Oxford underlined Faulkner’s generosity and kindness. The documentary shows Faulkner not only as father of Jill and his stepdaughter but also as a father figure for many others. He had to take care of several families at once. At one point Faulkner had seventeen dependents to provide for. Many of the people that were interviewed describe Faulkner as being very generous and always willing to help others even when he had almost nothing himself. One special example is his brother Dean who died in an airplane accident and because Faulkner had bought the plane he apparently felt guilty about the death of his brother for the r est of his life as his sister-in-law says in the interview. The interviews with Faulkner’s daughter Jill and his stepdaughter show a different side of the Nobel Prize-winning author. Jill speaks about her father (whom she calls â€Å"papi†) and his alcohol habits in an objective, distanced way and seems to have accepted the fact that her father was a man who cared about many people, but sometimes â€Å"would have walked on her.† One incident she talks about struck me especially. She remembers that at a party her father was drinking once again and when she asked him to stop he said to her: â€Å"No one remembered Shakespeare’s child†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even when we take the fact into account that he was drunk at that point, this seems to me a rather cruel thing to say to one’s daughter. Other women, however, seem to have been of great importance in Faulkner’s life among them Joan Williams, a young, aspiring author from Memphis. Talking about her Jill Faulkner Sommers says that her father liked the idea of having a â€Å"protà ©gà ©.† Other women Faulkner seems to have been greatly attached to were his mother and his grandmother. Faulkner dedicated Go Down Moses to another woman he apparently cared about very much, the family â€Å"mammy.† The dedication runs: â€Å"To Mammy Caroline Barr, who was born in slavery and gave to my family a fidelity without stint or calculation of recompense and to my childhood an immeasurable devotion and love.

Fight Club Essay -- essays research papers

The film ‘Fight Club’ follows, to some degree of accuracy, the archetypal paradigm of the apocalyptic guidelines discussed in English 3910. Specifically the movie mostly deals with the genre of the personal apocalypse. Thus, following suit in relation to such works as ‘Lancelot’, ‘The Violent Bear it away’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’. ‘Fight Club’, essentiality contains the basic premise of these works, that is the purging of one’s identity through extreme measures and crisis; to ultimately arrive at a personal revelation in the end. Like ‘Apocalypse Now’, the audience is lead by narration to give a reflecting insight into the apocalyptic journey of young professional named Jack. Jack works a regular nine to five office job for an insurance company and suffers from insomnia. He finds his cure in attending support groups for the mortally afflicted. One of the first groups he attends is a testicular cancer group and discovers, through an exercise referred to as â€Å"pairing up† (to share brotherly emotion with your fellow mortally afflicted), that crying with and hugging these people makes him feel better. He, although he does not have testicular cancer, is spiritual impotent and this group allows him to fill that void in his life. He gets addicted to this, and begins attending different support groups everyday, his faking becomes his foma, he knows like the bokonist, that his new â€Å"religion† is lies. â€Å"I didn't say anything,† he explains as he forges a series of diseases. â€Å"They always assumed the worst.† Nonetheless, his search for tears and experiencing other people’s pain gave meaning to his identity. â€Å"Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy (‘the books of Bokonon 1:5’, Vonnegut, 1963).† Jack has no trouble weeping in these strangers’ arms until he meets another phony, Marla, a support-group â€Å"tourist† and a reflection of himself that he finds objectionable. She claims to like the emotional workout of being with these people, which is â€Å"cheaper than a movie.† However, when Marla abruptly begins to attend all the meetings he is attending. He becomes irritated by her presence because she is a fraud too and doesn’t belong in his grandfallon. Her company reminds him that he is impostor and he doesn’t like that. They workout a deal where they split the days up between them. She gets the breast cancer and emphysema group while he takes the testicu... ... side by side, looking on as the national credit building explodes in flames. With their debt they owed to the material world purged to zero, they head off in a fresh direction as the new Adam and Eve. Like Willard in ‘Apocalypse Now’, Jack’s revelation at the end of his hellish journey is left unclear and complex. In the voice of his narration, perhaps there is a conclusion: â€Å"You are not your job. You are not how much you have in the bank. You are not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis. You are not a beautiful unique snowflake. What happens when you can’t sleep? What happens then is there’s a gun in your mouth. And what happens next is you meet Tyler Durden. Let me tell you about Tyler. He had a plan. In Tyler we trusted. Tyler says self-improvement is masturbation. Tyler says-self-destruction might be the answer.† Conceivably, there is a Tyler Durden inside the soul of us all waiting to be called. â€Å"I’m simply what you needed and wanted,† Durden said the moment Jack realized they were the same person. Director of ‘Apocalypse Now’, Francis Ford Coppala said it best in an interview during the release of his movie, â€Å"I believe that the end was always about choice.†

Passionate Anti Smoking Tobacco Essay :: Tobacco Nicotine Cigarettes

Smoking! Why smoking is the most wrong thing you can do to your lungs .it is just not done to be good. I FURIOSLY HATE SMOKING. and when people smoke it has OIL in it. 40,5000 Canadians are killed a year. including my grandma and now I am not with her anymore. I miss her so much I curse the people who brought it to Canada. The kids breath it when they are near the people who are smoking it. do you know what happens to the KIDS who breathe it they can get CANCER . It is such a pity for kids to get cancer and some people have cancer because of their genes because of their parents and their during their pregnancy. Think about all the kids and their stupid genes they got from their lovable parents . there are 4000 chemicals in 1 cigarette. These are the only the smallest fraction of diseases you can get: Lung cancer, cancer of voice box throat and mouth , cancer of pancreas, cervical cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, blatter cancer, leukemia, coronary, circulatory, high blood pressure, LDL, Pneumonia, influenza, the common cold, Peptic ulcers, Tooth decay, Gum disease, Osteoporosis ,Sleep problems ,Cataracts and much MUCH more 1. Smoking hurts your lung’s natural cleaning and repair system and traps cancer-causing chemicals build in your lungs. Smoking destroys the tiny hairs .which line the upper airways and protect against infection. Normally, there is a very thin layer of mucous and thousands of these hairs lining the insides of your breathing tubes. The mucous traps the little bits of dirt and pollution you breath oxygen in, and the hairs move together like a wave to push the dirt-filled mucous out of your lungs. Then you have to waste your time coughing , swallow, or spit up the mucous, and the dirt is out of your lungs. When your lungs' natural cleaning and repair system is hurt, germs, dirt and chemicals from cigarette smoke stay inside your lungs and never come out. This puts you at risk for a cough that never goes away, chest infections, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease . 2. Smoking always and permanently damages the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs, making it really hard to breathe. Little air sacs at the tips of your lungs, are built like tiny, stretchy balloons.

Business Management Essay

According to Joss (2001),a set of rules or strategies are used to control and direct by an organization effectively and efficiency, manpower is involved to work together in an organization to achieve a common mission continuously. Different skills are required and performed by a manager, such as leadership skills, organizational skills, etc. Particular person, in an organization, should shoulder the responsibility and produce results is called manager. Managers require specific experience and qualification, to make any important decisions and lead their teams to accomplish a goal. Management are classified into four levels, they are top managers, middle managers, first-line managers and non-managerial employees respectively. (Oxford, 2009; Joss,2001) Functions of management: There is a cycle of four functions of management before achieving the stated mission, they are planning, organizing, leading as well as controlling. Planning is one of the functions that preparing and evaluating what and how they can improve to do even better. They can plan for the desired achievement or integrate their current structure. Organizing is a way to utilize resources and guide the manpower in a specific way, since investment and employees are very crucial for successful organizations. Leading is the best way to influence and coordinate the workers, as the managers ‘’motivate† their ‘’ left-right hands†. Motivation means the managers inspire and persuade them to do their best in a happy way. Controlling is the final step amongst four functions. The managers monitor the current productivity and correct the mistakes or ways they perform. (Tripathi and Reddy, 2008) Q2: According to Mintzberg (1990), the managers are grouped into ten roles by three main categories. They are Interpersonal roles, Information roles and decisional roles. Analyzing a manager – Richard Branson: When I reviewed the functions, roles and skills, there is no denying I admire a manager – Richard Branson a lot, who is the founder and director of Virgin Group. He is approximately 63 years old now, he experienced nearly 47 years in different categories of business. They are record stores, air travel, soft drinks, radio, clothing, holidays, etc. The reason he could own business in different sectors, because he performs different managerial skills and roles, mainly use interpersonal skills and conceptual skills. (Branson,2007) Although Richard Branson did not have any huge plans at the beginning, he performed the function of planning to define the missions for his business, especially his airline. He wants to make his airline growth with revenue, to drive the passengers to their destinations and the employees are satisfied to stay and work for the companies. (Virgin Atlantic, 2013) For the interpersonal skills, he has very good relationship with his own employees. ‘’To be a good leader you have to be a great listener.† said by Richard Branson. No doubt, he doesn’t only require employees to treat the customers well, but also openly listen to the employees’ ideas, in order to correct the existence problems and bombing new ideas for future integration. He creates new business by communicating with workers. Even though Branson has more than 200 cabin crew, he still spends time with them, listen to their requests. Because he thinks it would be the best way leading them to work in a delighted environment is a business, solving the obstacles would not be the only situation. (Branson,2012) For the conceptual skills, he has unique business sense of sustaining and integrating his business. For instant, before he established Virgin Atlantic, he was doing the business of Virgin Music successfully. A lawyer persuaded Richard to invest in airlines; he was taking risks of promising, as he has no experience. However, he analyzed every risk, strategies and possibility of earning money after making up his mind; he even performed the function of organizing that thinking of the year plan and finding out the reasons why the competitors offered the market prices that low. Until now, Virgin Atlantic is the second largest airlines in the UK. (Branson,2009) In reality, most of the businessmen may not accept this challenge, because they want to ensure the risks are lower than the returns before taking any plans. Richard Branson used to equip himself with different financial perspectives; therefore, he can make a right decision quicker than a normal businessman and this shows that he was performing decisional roles. (Branson,2009) Although Richard Branson has a lot of insight of different perspectives, he would sometimes face the failure. He would like to compete with Coca-Cola and Pepsi for launching Virgin Coke. Nevertheless, he underestimated his competitors, as the location distribution is crucial to drinks industry. Therefore, he performed his function of controlling and the skills of managing changes, to correct the mistakes they made. He changed the location from the USA to Bangladesh and was being the best cola drink there. (Branson,2009) Q3: Reflection of myself: It is possible that everyone would possess managerial skills, including myself. I do possess human skills, conceptual skills and technical skills. However, no matter what my job position is, the degree of owning these skills is not the same. If I need to rank three of them, interpersonal skills would have the strongest degree. I have communication skills and leading function. As I have to deliver the responsibility to other committees and negotiate with suppliers to reduce our costs; therefore, my communication skills have been greatly improved by being figurehead and negotiator. Besides, I need to help keeping a good relationship with the external world. Additionally, I have the function of organizing and the skills and roles of decision-making as well. Being the leader in a team, I have to allocate works to my teammates; as a result, I need to organize all the plans before delivering to anyone. Besides, I faced a lot of obstacles, which are in sudden. If the original plan is not working, I need to perform the function of controlling, to think of another most suitable plan immediately. My conceptual skills should be enhanced, such as predict the future economy situation accurately or invest any properties in a smart way, as integrating our business is the most significant part of upholding current and achieving goals. I would like to be the top manager in next five years or more, who will own at least few shops. Knowing how to calculate the expected return rate and risk would be the first step. Therefore, I would like to learn how I could buy any properties without using my own money, but using the earned profits to invest and earn new profits. It seems my thoughts can be easily accomplished in words, but different skills are involved. Therefore, I should start understanding the bankers’ thought and how is the banking systems working, and then I could negotiate with them fluently. Because loans from the bank may be the ‘’helping hands† of my first business. However, my technical skills are not good enough. Lacking of the knowledge of advanced technology and particular software, my technical skills should be enriched as well. Although technical skills are very crucial to some managers, I will not put a lot of effort on learning them. Because first-line manager can be hired for monitoring the daily processing systems; yet, I should learn how to use software to read the financial statement and make proper decision for expanding my business. Additionally, I should briefly know the transactions processing as well, to prevent the employees from making their own interests. Last but not least, employees are the assets of my company; I should learn how to use the best resources and people with the lowest costs to boost the productivity and achieve my goals. In conclusion, management is very crucial to an organization. As people cannot entirely perform all the functions, roles and skills in a specific position, managers are required to shoulder their responsibility continuously to help achieving the defined mission. Besides, reflecting our strengths and weaknesses would be other criteria to run successful business. Bibliography : †¢ Branson,R. , 2007. Business the Richard Branson Way: 10 Secrets of the World’s Greatest Brand Builder. 3rd Edition. Great Britain : The Random House Group Limited. †¢ Brason,R. , 2009. Losing My Virginity : The Autobiography. Great Britain : The Random House Group Limited. †¢ Branson,R. ,2009. Business Stripped Bare. Great Britain: The Random House Group Limited. †¢ Branson,R. , 2012. Like A Virgin : Secrets They Won’t Teach You At Business School. Great Britain : The Random House Group Limited. †¢ Joss,R.L.,2001.Management. Australian Journal of Management, [e-journal] 26,p.89, Available through : London School of Economics and Political Science < http://www2.lse.ac.uk/library/home.aspx> [ Accessed 2 February 2013]. †¢ Oxford, 2009. Dictionary of Business and Management. United States : Oxford University Press. †¢ Tripathi,P.C. and Reddy,P.N. ,2008. Principles of Management. 4th Edition. India : The McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. †¢ Mintzberg,H. ,1990. Mintzberg on Management : Inside Our Strange World Of Organization. United States of America : The Free Press. †¢ Virgin Atlantic,2013. Our Mission Statement. [online] Available at:< http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/allaboutus/missionstatement/index.jsp> [Accessed 13 February 2013].

Ball corporation Essay

1. How do you think a small margin for error affects communication on a project? I think that it can affect the zero error margins. By not listening and paying close attention to the information, room for error can occur. Also after knowing that there zero room for error the people working on the project will pay close attention to any communication. 2. In what ways do you act differently in a face to face meeting than you do during a telephone conference call? I have not have the experience, but may I feel that the difference would be that during a conference call, the person who is talking will not be able to see and body expression thus thinking that everything is okay. In a face to face call the person that relates the info can see anybody that might not agree and ask why they might feel this way. 3. Why is it written communication essential in some situations (such as conveying specifications), while oral communication is essential in others (such as technology interchange transfers)? Written communication sometimes is a necessity it’s like having an architect and telling the contractor what to do. It will be quite hard for the contractor, because he might know where to start; miscommunication and the architect might have other projects. So it might be easier to have the plans on hand and the contractor can go over it several times to ensure the building is coming along to specification. The oral communications are just simple decision that will be agreed upon not really giving any numbers because it will be harder to explain in detail than having the plan in front. 4. What listening hurdles do you find yourself facing as you listen to others? How do you handle it when you believe someone you’re speaking to is not hearing what you say? Some hurdles I find myself facing would be distractions, such as watching the T.V. and having a conversation with the family a lot of communication can be lost by trying to listen to both at the same time. I have found several ways to combat this issue, one that the text give is asking questions to see if the audience is listening. Another that I have learned from my supervisor were if there are people talking during a speech he brings the attention to the coworkers by asking everybody to pay attention to them because I guess there conversation is more important than the information that is being given, he then proceeds back to the information. I have seen this one work several times.

Fictional Characters and Insurance Contracts Essay

1. Non-Argument, Piece of Advice, it’s because the statement says â€Å"strongly recommended† which is giving you an advice. 2. Non-Argument, Conditional Statement, it’s because it is an â€Å"if†¦then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  statement. 3. Argument P: Fictional characters behave according to the same psychological probabilities as real people. P: The characters of fiction are found in exotic dilemmas that real people hardly encounter. C: Fiction provides us with the opportunity to ponder how people react in uncommon situations, and to deduce moral lessons, psychological principles, and philosophical insights from their behavior. 4. Non-Argument, Opinion, it’s because the statement is a â€Å"statement of belief† from the words â€Å"I believe† which is also called an opinion. 5. Non-Argument, Report, it’s because it is a group of statements that gives info about some situation or event. 6. Argument P: In every insurance contract there is an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. P: The duty to so act is imminent in the contract whether the company is attending to the claims of third persons against the insured or the claims of the insured itself. C: When the insurer unreasonably and in bad faith withholds payment of the claim of its insured, it is subject to liability in tort. 7. Non-Argument, Expository Passage, it’s because the topic of the sentence develops or elaborates on it. 8. Non-Argument, Description, it’s because the statements makes us imagine of an image of what the statements have written. 9. Non-Argument, Report, it’s because the statements are reported by a certain person. 10. Non-Argument, Illustration, it’s because the statements seem to hide as arguments but the real point is to exemplify the statement.

Potato Osmosis Lab Report

Abstract:In this experiment was designed to study the effect of a concentrated solution applied to white and sweet potatoes. The solution’s impact among the potatoes were to be either hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic. The potatoes were first cut into fries with a fry cutter, and then weighed after being cut. The white and sweet potatoes’ weights ranged from .005-.015 grams.A total of 18 sugar solutions are to be made over the course of 3 trials. In each trial, 6 different types of solutions are to be made. (0% sugar, 10% sugar, 20% sugar, 30% sugar, 40% sugar, and 50% sugar). For each trial, in 6 plastic cups, pour 100mL of water, combine the sugar that in which corresponds to the percentage of sugar, and place one â€Å"potato fry† in each cup. In the first and second trials, use the sweet potatoes. In the third trial, use the white potatoes. LABELTHE CUPS ACCORDING TO THE MIXED SOLUTION! Leave the potatoes to sit for a 24-hour period.Introduction: Osmosis is the spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a partially permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration in the presence of water. An isotonic solution is one in which the concentration of solutes is the same inside the cell as outside the cell (STAYS THE SAME). A hypotonic solution will have a lower concentration of solutes than the cell (SWELLS).A hypertonic solution will have a higher concentration of solutes than the cell and will have a higher osmotic pressure outside the cell than inside the cell. (SHRINKS) The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of one concentrated solution (with different percentages of solute) on white and sweet potatoes. If a .015 white potato is placed in solution with 50% sugar, then it will shrink! (Hypotonic)Materials: †¢Sugar †¢Water †¢Potato Fry Cutter †¢Plastic Cups †¢Black Permanent Marker †¢Graduated Cylinder †¢1 Sweet Potato †¢1 White PotatoProcedures:1.Accumul ate 1 white and 1 sweet potato. 2.Cut potatoes into fries with a fry cutter and weigh 12 white potato fries and 6 sweet potato fries. 3.For each trial, in 6 plastic cups, pour 100mL of water, combine the sugar that in which corresponds to the percentage of sugar. LABEL THE CUPS! 4.Place one potato fry in each cup. 5.In the first and second trials, use the sweet potatoes. In the third trial, use the white potatoes. 6.Leave the potato fries to sit for 24-hours.Controls: The controls include the time, temperature, and 100mL of each water, ETC. Independent Variables: The independent variables include the solutions tested, ETC. Dependent Variables: The potatoes’ ability to swell, shrink or stay the same, ETC.Conclusion: Through experimentation, â€Å"If a .015 white potato is placed in solution with 50% sugar, then it will shrink† hypothesis was accurately proved. To further better this experiment, I would extend the time over a course of 2 hours and would test the experime nt outside on the sun.Questions: What causes sugar to shrink and swell things? Why did some potatoes swell and others didn’t that had the same weight and percentage of sugar?

The Count of Monte Cristo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Count of Monte Cristo - Essay Example The three form the antagonists in the story and plot against Dantes so he would lose what he has. Accordingly, Dantes was arrested for treason and consequently sent to prison for the rest of his life. Although he did not have any political stand, Dantes was unfortunately acting as a courier as a favor to his deceased captain and had in possession a letter from Napoleon. Moreover, the recipient of the letter was the father of the deputy public prosecutor and the latter did not want the public to know about his father’s misconduct. In jail, Dantes meets and befriend a priest who teaches him a lot of things – academic and about life in general. The priest, Abbe Faria, also tells him of a hidden treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. Dantes eventually escapes by hiding inside the deceased Faria’s shroud and swims to freedom when the jailers throw out what they thought was the priest’s body in the sea. Dantes uses the knowledge and the money he got from Faria to reinvent himself in order to get his revenge against the people who had made his life miserable. Throughout the beginning of the story, Dantes manifests a person who does not think ill of people. This was evident when, upon questioning from Morrel, he still had good words to say about Dangler even if he knew Dangler did not like him. (Dumas) When he found out the Cardousse had left his father to starve to death by making his father pay Dantes’ entire debt, Dantes still managed to welcome Cardousse into their home. (Dumas) He values his relationship with his father. When he found him starving, he immediately gave him gold to buy whatever he needed. (Dumas) Dantes was also someone who initially believed in hope and God. In prison, while struggling to make sense of what had happened to his life, he was still optimistic that God would pull him through the circumstances. This was especially clear when he continued waiting for the governor’s decision to release him from j ail and kept making rationalizations when the decision seemed to take longer than he expected. (Dumas) Initially, Edmond Dantes was convinced that he was just a victim of fate. From the innocent and simple-minded man that he was, however, he turned into a vengeful and cunning person once he discovered the reason for all the misfortune he had gotten. The priest Faria regretted telling Dantes how the latter ended up in jail. (Dumas 186) He knew that once Dantes found out about the truth, the latter would be filled with so much anger and passion to get back at those who took his life away. Because of his quest for revenge, Edmond Dantes mastered the art of lying like those who betrayed him. In the course of the story, he pretends to be someone else three times, initially, in order to save his boss, Morrel, and finally as the sophisticated Count of Monte Cristo. In the midst of executing his plans against Fernand and the rest, Dantes realizes that he has deeply hurt innocent people in t he process and that he is not God who can control and foresee the effects of his actions. (Dumas 610) In an attempt to mitigate all the wrongdoing he believes he has committed, he helps Maximilian appreciate the latter’s love for Valentine by letting Maximilian believe Valentine was dead. (Dumas) The story of Edmond Dantes can be likened to the life of tennis superstar Andre Agassi. Although the themes present in the novel by Dumas do not

Open Markets, Closed Borders Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Open Markets, Closed Borders - Assignment Example I am of the opinion that if full disclosure of information by the commission is done, the public would appreciate the facts and figures as they happened and help them deal with closure. It is important to note and mention that the questions that the victims and families have regarding the sad events of 9/11 would be put to rest. This is to say that the victims, families and the society as a whole would have closure on the issue, appreciating successes and failures accordingly. There exists as cooperative relationship between the DoD and homeland security where they engage in matters of complementarities (Wise, 2006). If there is a breach or any issue by the coastal line security and safety, then the homeland security would initiate the response at the signal of the DoD personnel. In practice, it is the role and duty of the DOD to safeguard the territorial integrity and waters of the USA, if a person is arrested trying to enter the country illegally, then the DOD personnel would handover such a person to Department of Homeland security for processing and charging such a person under relevant

Islam vs. Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islam vs. Christianity - Essay Example Nonetheless, this essay will address the comparison between Islam and Christianity from the historical perspective, as well as how the significance of these religions in society, especially with regard to the influence these might have on rulers in society. The rise of Christianity can be traced from the early Byzantine and Justinian Empires. Emperor Justinian I championed the Christian culture, which is evident in various levels of the Byzantine culture. Justinian is heralded for shaping church policies. He therefore, got rid of the former religious practices, including the practice of paganism. For instance, Justinian declared an expulsion for pagan teachers for the academy of Athens (The Metropolitan Museum of Art web). Overall, it is during the early Benzatium that Christianity spread, and replaced the gods of antiquity. On the other hand, the spread of Islamic religion can be traced to the Abbasid dynasty. The Abbasid dynasty is highly associated with the rise of civilization. T his later spread to other parts of the empire. In addition to various aspects of civilization in this dynasty, there was progress in science and this led to the development of Islamic sciences, which fell under the category of religious sciences. Nonetheless, this comprised branches such as Hadith, Fiqh, and Tafsir. The dominant religion in Abbasid dynasty was, therefore, Islam. However, there was religious tolerance in the dynasty. There is a relationship between religion and power, especially, when focus is on the past civilizations. The rulers in past societies drew considerably on religion to rule their subjects (Brisch Web). An example of this is the aspect of divine kingship in Mesopotamia. Basing the notion of religion, Naram-Sin of Akkad, who was the first ruler of Mesopotamia, declared himself a divine king. This aspect is also called self-deification. Other rulers that took up self-deification include Shulgi (2095–2049 BCE) of the Third Dynasty of Urm, Rim-Sin of La rsa (1822–1763 BCE) and Hammurabi of Babylon (1792–1750 BCE) (Brisch Web). Nonetheless, in self-deification, the kings compared themselves gods, who needed to be worshipped, like the one divine God. Nonetheless, a major reason for this was to prove that they were powerful, and to expand their area influence, as well as legitimize their powers. Rulers in some of the past civilizations also used religion to guide people. Nonetheless, the laws of some civilizations in the past were drawn from religion. However, the relationship between law and religion is changing throughout history (Barzilai Web). The use of natural law in past societies can be closely associated with religion. Nonetheless, among the Israelites, the Mosaic Law, including the Ten Commandments was used. These were considered as laws from God himself. In the epic of Gilgamesh, the rulers had a different perception of the gods. Mainly, the rulers feared and revered the gods, as they considered the gods dange rous. Therefore, in this case, self-deification as in the case of Mesopotamia was impossible, as the gods would possibly destroy any ruler that would attempt this (Carnahan Web). In addition, the gods in the epic of Gilgamesh were considered dangerous for humans. For instance, unlike in the Mosaic Law and Abrahamic covenant, the gods in the

Music Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Music - Assignment Example In this manner, the element of rapping is always very common and is almost predominant in nearly all forms of hip hop music (Katz, 2012). This paper is going to explore the origin of the hip hop music, taking into consideration several aspects involving the problems that the youths passed through that may have been responsible for the emergence of the hip hop music. In addition, the paper is going to explore some of the regions where the music genre of Hip hop music was mostly concentrated in the United States, as well as the reasons that may have influenced the rise of the hip hop music. The origin of the hip hop music is attributed to early histories relevant to the problems faced by the youth in America. Such youths saw it fit to spell some of the problems that they faced through rapping alongside the music. Other than rapping, it is important to note that the other characteristic of the hip hop music involves several forms of dancing as well as dancing styles. In connection to the above, it is crucial to note that hip hop music is mostly characterized by such forms of dancing including break dancing. These were some of the ways in which the youths employed in expressing their emotions as well as their problems relevant to the social, political as well as economic challenges that they faced in the regions of America (Flores, 2000). Other than the issue of dancing as well as rapping, the other common elements of the hip hop music includes scratching as well as graffiti writing. These are some of the artistic styles that accompany the issue of hip hop music. It is important to note that the origin of these elements is vested in the culture as well as the age brackets of the people mostly involved in the hip hop music. For instance, most youths are always the ones who mostly revere this musical genre called hip hop. It is of crucial significance to acknowledge the fact